London Zoo

7 Stories

Plan to Mate Endangered Tigers Has Deadly End

The signs were 'positive,' but one Sumatran tiger ended up dead

(Newser) - The aim was a noble one: Bring the male Sumatran tiger Asim from Denmark to the London Zoo to mate with a female named Melati as part of an effort to increase the endangered species' population. What happened instead left the zoo heartbroken: The two were brought together for the...

London Zoo Honors Prince Harry's Fiancee

Via a baby okapi

(Newser) - London Zoo has honored Prince Harry's fiancee by naming its newborn okapi after her. The zoo said Wednesday the animal born in early December was named Meghan to celebrate the upcoming wedding of Harry and American actress Meghan Markle. The okapi (oh-COP-ee) have striped hindquarters like zebras but are...

At Least 1 Animal Dead, Others Missing in Zoo Fire

Cause of Saturday's fire at London Zoo is unknown

(Newser) - A beloved aardvark is dead and four meerkats are missing after a fire tore through part of the London Zoo on Saturday, Reuters reports. The fire mostly damaged a cafe and gift shop but impacted an animal petting area, as well. Misha, a 10-year-old aardvark and one of the most...

'Psycho' Gorilla Escapes Zoo Pen, Heads for Hooch

Kumbuka guzzled a gallon of nonalcoholic sugary syrup, but still

(Newser) - David Field, director of the ZSL London Zoo, is trying to dismiss an animal escape earlier this month as "less dramatic than some would have you believe," as he writes in a blog post . But as the Guardian reports, the security breach ended up with an evacuation, armed...

How to Cure a Spider Phobia in 2 Minutes

Hang out with a tarantula, then get a dose of propranolol: study

(Newser) - Arachnophobes, rejoice! A new study suggests a cure to your fear of spiders is just two minutes away. The only problem is that it involves being near a tarantula. Reporting in Biological Psychiatry , University of Amsterdam scientists say they built an experiment out of the idea of reconsolidation—that memories...

Zookeeper Love Triangle Gets Incredibly Messy

Monkey, meerkat handlers clashed over llama-keeper

(Newser) - It's the same old story: Boy meets girl, boy meets another girl, meerkat-keeper gets fired from London Zoo for attacking monkey handler. The love triangle at the zoo centered on llama-keeper Adam Davies, who started dating meerkat expert Caroline Westlake after his five-year relationship with monkey-keeper Kate Sanders ended,...

Zoo's Rare Tiger Drowns 3 Weeks After Birth

London zookeepers think mom might have carried it out of den

(Newser) - London zookeepers are using the word "distraught," and understandably so: The city's zoo has lost the first Sumatran tiger born there in 17 years; the three-week-old cub apparently drowned on Saturday morning. Keepers realized something was amiss after failing to locate the newborn using the cameras trained...

7 Stories